Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

The Letter(PDF)
To the Venerable Master Cheng Yen
Foundress of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

I am very delighted to convey the fraternal greetings of Pope Francis and my prayerful wishes to you and your collaborators on this special occasion of the 55th Anniversary of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation. I assure you of my spiritual closeness and I wish you the success of present and future initiatives of the Foundation.

From its small beginnings, Tzu Chi has blossomed into an institution providing prompt assistance, loving care, earnest closeness, and active solicitude to people in distress, especially victims of disasters and calamities worldwide.

This anniversary occurs during the Covid-19 Pandemic, a time when expressions of compassion and loving care are critically needed. As in the past, due to values founded in our respective religious and spiritual convictions, we collaborate in assisting people in need, crossing the boundaries of nations, races, cultures and religions. May the present commemoration revive your call and sense of service, heighten the friendships shared with other religious traditions, and sustain our commitment towards a caring community.

As Pope Francis says: “We need a community that supports and helps us, in which we can help one another to keep looking ahead .... Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.” (Fratelli tutti 8).

Let charity and compassion continue to inspire and sustain our commitment to peace, help deepen our respect for one another as persons, strengthen the bonds of love between us, and motivate firm efforts to foster right relations and fraternal solidarity.

In this confident hope, and with my renewed esteem, I wish you all my best wishes.


Miguel Angel Card. Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ
President
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
From the Vatican, 19 April 2021